Barque: Thomas Moore's Work

Projects and books by contemporary American writer of A Religion of One's Own, Gospel: The Book of Matthew, Care of the Soul.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Transform puritan veneer into erotic sheen

Thomas Moore’s Huffington Post blog entry for 30 November 2010 is "Not Enough Sex" in which he suggests American culture’s "preoccupation with sex shows that it hasn't come to grips with its fear of whatever it is that sex represents."

After describing male fascination with the female body, Moore offers solutions for the tension between a man’s worldly achievements and his willingness to lose all for sexual adventure:

"First, we could become more reflective people and take seriously our need to meditate on the human condition. We need to pause in all our activity to ask ourselves who and what we are. We need religion and spirituality in a deep sense, as guides to asking the deepest and most important questions. Living from a deeper place, we might be able to deal with our sexuality more effectively.

Second, we need to allow ourselves to explore our sexual curiosity without guilt. Present a piece of pornography, and what do you get? Moralistic responses, for the most part. No thoughtful considerations. Few open-minded explorations into an obvious need."

"A soul mate is someone to whom we feel profoundly connected, as though the communicating and communing that take place between us were not the product of intentional efforts, but rather a divine grace."— Thomas Moore

Why Barque: Thomas Moore?

"What I'm trying to do is say lighten up and let life flow through you, and be on the waves as they go up and down. For me, a great image in mythology is
Tristan of Tristan and Isolde. He's out there on a little boat without an oar, without a rudder, on the Irish sea . . . You float your way. You drift. The essence
of my approach is to be extravagantly accepting and forgiving of yourself and others. Ride the waves and let life take you where it has good things for you." - Thomas Moore